It's a trap. Planners and schedules and gadgets to manage time are bait I always fall for.
more organization + more schedules = more awesome
I find myself always waiting for the next season - you know, the one where things will slow down, where I'll get my act together, where I'll finally bring my schedule, energy level, money, and inspiration all into alignment.
And life will be perfect in that next season...
It's a long wait. It's a lot of blame-shifting and excuse-making and compromising.
I've decided that consistency is most important, and it doesn't mean the things you do every day, at the same time, in the same way, ever building and growing and improving.
Consistency is more about the things you come back to again and again, when life feels haywire or foggy.
I keep on keepin' on with the spiritual disciplines I know I need. Pray. Read. Sing. Rest.
We started reading through the Bible with our kids again (again!) and it irks me to miss a day. I have this whole inner conflict about moving on with whatever day we're at, or going back and reading the days we missed so that we don't really miss anything.
It's the same in my personal Bible study - to do it all, or just keep on keepin' on?
For now, we just go to today's reading and rest in the fact that we'll get it all eventually. That has to be enough for now.
Also, the only attitude I can truly control is my own. Which is key. Which is hard.
Ideally, I'd mop my floors once a week. I'd do a couple loads of laundry a day so as to keep on top of it. I'd never go to bed with dishes in the sink, dinner would always be planned in advance and eaten at the same time each evening, and I'd have 2 to 3 blog posts a week to offer here, consistently and dependably.
Because consistency must come right after cleanliness in relation to godliness.
The temptation is always to quit those things I can't do regularly and well - to give up trying to read the Bible as a family because it's just too hard to stay consistent; quit running because I've missed a week and it's going to be so hard to start over; let go of the desire to write because I'm sporadic and pointless and nobody is waiting for what I have to say, anyway.
Very few of the things I tell myself in the midst of discouragement are true things. Most often, they are excuses for a life that's less than perfect, because obviously I need a good reason for my lack of perfection.
For now, being consistent means doing things when I don't feel like it, when it's not perfect or pleasant, when I'd rather be on pinterest or in my fog.
I'm going to write imperfect things here and not give up.
I'm going to read the Living Word to my kids and myself often because Jesus is worthy.
I'm going to clean when I can, plan when I can, sleep more, and fret less about being perfect.
An ugly offering can be made perfect by a heart that is right. I'll keep clinging to that and offering what I have, consistently coming back to the most important things between my wanderings and distractions.
sharing with The Wellspring and Tell His Story